Not all businessmen are thieves, says Baba Ramdev

At a discussion on leadership during the 4th SBI Banking and Economics Conclave on Thursday, the panellists and audience got some expert tips to deal with a problem that is a concern for most -belly fat.

As the panel discussion was to end, Patanjali Ayurved founder and yoga guru Baba Ramdev, one of the panellists, held a brief session for the leaders of Corporate India on Kapalbhati Pranayama. The breathing technique, he said, helps reduce belly fat and stress, as well as control blood cholesterol.

Ramdev, in his saffron robes, said despite founding a huge FMCG company , Patanjali, he does not lose sleep or put on weight because of his yoga routine. "You all put on weight with work ... Everyone must do yoga at least one hour in the morning," he advised the audience.

Indians need to start respecting businessmen and entrepreneurs, Ramdev said. "Abusing businessmen should be banned in the Indian Parliament ... you want their taxes, you want their money to fund your political parties ...stop cursing them ... every businessman is not a thief."

The panel discussed the importance of entrepreneurs, especially women entrepreneurs, in fuelling India's growth. It called for a change in the mindset of Indians towards entrepreneurial failure. Kant cited a report by McKinsey Global Institute, which stated that at 17%, India has a lower share of women's contribution to GDP than the global average of 37 per cent. "Growth in India cannot happen without women's contribution.Gender parity and social development is needed. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh need focus on health and education of women," said Kant.

He said the government is focussed on restructuring educational regulatory bodies, such as the Medical Council of India, University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education, to weed out corruption and better the quality of their governance. The government is trying also to overhaul the curriculum to cater students to the modern needs, he said, adding: "You cannot take India to the next century with a 19th century curriculum."

Mody and Bhattacharya suggested that neighbourhood crèches for children will help reduce attrition of women from the workforce.

"By and large, the challenge is how to manage all the roles society expects them to do ... we need to provide infrastructure," said Mody."Forty-three per cent of women leave their jobs at one stage or another ... that is talent trained and wasted," they said.